Bracket for mounting clapboards or the likes

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of a bracket for mounting to furring strips or to any other surface exterior or interior siding elements such as clapboards are described herein, the clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides. Each bracket is in the form of a body having: first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of a first clapboard; a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of a second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom. Brackets according to embodiments of the present invention allow mounting siding elements onto any exterior or interior surfaces without requiring the insertion of nails or fasteners through the siding elements. The brackets allow minimizing deformation in the siding and improve the overall look thereof.

BACKGROUND

Many methods and means are known in the art for mounting sidings such as clapboards to furring strips or wall studs. The most commonly used method includes securing the clapboards using nails.

A first drawback of such a method is that the clapboards tend to deform over time, for example under variable or adverse climatic conditions. Also, with the nails rusting, the overall look of the sidings worsens over time.

A further drawback, which often results from the previous two above, is that the attachments of the sidings tend to slack, thereby increasing maintenance of the linings.

Many brackets or attachment systems are known that allow better mounting of siding elements to a surface. While most of these brackets and systems allow easier or more securely mounting of clapboards or other sidings, they fail in achieving all of the following:

ease of installation;

securely mounting of the sidings; and

saving the sidings from being perforated during their mounting.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the appended drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of brackets from FIG. 1, illustrated mounting clapboards to a furring strip;

FIG. 3 is a back perspective view of the assembly from FIG. 2, the assembly being illustrated without the furring strip for clarity purpose;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a bracket for mounting clapboards according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of brackets from FIG. 5, illustrated mounting clapboards to a furring strip;

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of clapboards mounted to furring strips using brackets according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of clapboards mounted to furring strips using brackets according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, similar features in the drawings have been given similar reference numerals, and in order not to weigh down the figures, some elements are not referred to in some figures if they were already identified in a precedent figure.

According to embodiments of the present invention, there is provided a bracket for mounting first and second clapboards to a surface, each of the first and second clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides; the bracket comprising a body having:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard;

a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and

a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of the second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.

According to embodiments of a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a siding kit for covering a surface, the kit comprising:

a plurality of clapboards, each having first and second transversal end sides;

a plurality of brackets, each including:

first and second opposite sides; the second side of the bracket being configured for complementary abutment with the second transversal end side of a first one of the plurality of clapboards;

a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and

a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of a second one of the plurality of clapboards so as to mount the second one of the plurality of clapboards onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.

Brackets according to embodiments of the present invention allow mounting clapboards or other siding elements such as bevel coatings, wall sheeting, etc, onto any exterior or interior surfaces without requiring the insertion of nails or fasteners through the siding elements. The brackets allow minimizing deformation in the siding and improve the overall look thereof.

The use of the word “a” or “an” when used in conjunction with the term “comprising” in the claims and/or the specification may mean “one”, but it is also consistent with the meaning of “one or more”, “at least one”, and “one or more than one”. Similarly, the word “another” may mean at least a second or more.

As used in this specification, the words “comprising” (and any form of comprising, such as “comprise” and “comprises”), “having” (and any form of having, such as “have” and “has”), “including” (and any form of including, such as “include” and “includes”) or “containing” (and any form of containing, such as “contain” and “contains”), are inclusive or open-ended and do not exclude additional, un-recited elements.

The expression “surface” should be construed broadly herein as including a substantially flat portion of any structure which can be vertical, horizontal or positioned at an angle relative to the ground. A non-limiting example of such a structure is a furring strip or a stud .

Also, the expression “clapboard” is to be construed broadly as including any board-like construction element intended for siding.

Other objects, advantages and features will become more apparent upon reading of the following non-restrictive description of illustrative embodiments thereof, given by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings.

A bracket 10 for mounting clapboards 9 and 9′ to a surface according to a first embodiment is illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3. According to the first illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3, the bracket 10 is used in mounting the clapboards 9 onto furring strips 11.

As will be described hereinbelow in more detail, the clapboards 9 and 9′ have first and second transversal end sides 13 and 15 that are profiled for complimentary abutment to two different portions of the bracket 10.

As will become more apparent upon reading the following description, the complimentary abutment needs not to be complete and partial complimentary abutments are also foreseen.

With reference now to FIG. 1, the bracket 10 is a one-piece body having two generally parallel elongated flat support portions 12-14 extending perpendicularly from a bridge portion 16 at a respective lateral side thereof. The body 10 has a generally H-shaped cross-section.

The two parallel support portions 12-14 have unequal length and the first support portion 12 is connected to the bridge portion 16 so as to be offset from its center thereby yielding an asymmetrical body 10.

The two generally parallel support portions 12-14 together define a first clapboard-receiving slot 18 with the bridge portion 16 on a first side thereof from which the longer side of the first support portion 12 extends.

Similarly, the two generally parallel support portions 12-14 together define a second clapboard-receiving slot 20 with the bridge portion 16 on the second side thereof.

As will be explained hereinbelow in more detail, the first support portion 12 defines a nail receiving portion 22 on the first side of the body 10.

The operation of the bracket 10 will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The bracket 10 is secured to a furring strip 11 by a nail 23 or any other fastening means. More specifically, the nail 23 is inserted in the nail-receiving portion of the bracket 10. As will be explained hereinbelow, both the nail 23 and the bracket 20 are concealed by the clapboards 9′ after installation thereof.

First, the clapboard 9 is firmly inserted from its bottom edge 24 in the first clapboard-receiving slot 18 of the bracket 10 in a tongue and groove joint. For that purpose, the top and bottom longitudinal edges 15 and 13 of the clapboards 9 and 9′ are profiled so as to complimentary abutting respectively the second and first clapboard-receiving slots 20 and 18 in a tongue and groove manner.

Of course, as it is well-known in the art, it may be more advantageous to mount the clapboards 9 and 9′ in series. Therefore, in the above-described first step, a series of brackets 10 are first mounted on the furring strip 11 and then a first series of clapboard 9 are inserted therein so as to be aligned.

A second series of brackets 10, that can be registered or not with the first series of brackets 10, are each firmly inserted via the second clapboard-receiving slot 20 on the upper edge 15 of a respective one of the first clapboards 9. Each of the second series of brackets 10 is nailed to the furring 11 as described hereinabove.

Then, a second series of clapboards 9′ is firmly inserted via their bottom edges in the first clapboard-receiving slots 18 of the second series of brackets 10.

A third series of brackets 10 (not shown) is mounted to the furring 11 to secure the upper edges of the second series of clapboards 9 and the clapboard mounting process continues as described above for any other layers of clapboard.

The bracket 10 is made of a polymeric material such as polypropylene. It can also be made of another material such as a metal or a metal alloy. In this last case, holes (not shown) can be provided to receive fasteners or nails. When the bracket 10 is made of a ductile metal such as aluminum or galvanized steel, pre-perforation of holes can be omitted.

The number of nails 11 and bracket 10 required to mount adjacent pieces of sidings depends for example on the size and material of the sidings and of those of the brackets 10.

The width of the bracket 10 is typically 27 mm or 64 mm to support wider or heavier boards. The heights of the first and second support portions are respectively typically 26 mm and 19 mm. The brackets 10 are however not limited to those dimension and the height and relative dimensions of the two support portions 12-14 may also differ to accommodate different types of siding.

Even though the bracket 10 has been illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 in mounting clapboard 9 and 9′ to furring strips 11, the bracket 10 can be used to mount any type of siding to any type of surface. Such mounting can be horizontal or vertical.

According to a further embodiment (not shown), the bracket 10 has a width sufficient to receive a plurality of aligned clapboards 9 and 9′ in a row.

The fastening means can be in the form of nails, screws, glue, etc.

Also, the profiled ends 13 and 15 can be shaped so as to only partially complement the first and second slots 18 and 20 while still preventing the clapboards 9 and 9′ from falling from the surface 11 when they abut a bracket 10 at each of their end sides 13 and 15.

Even though the bracket 10 has been described as a one-piece body, it can be assembled from a plurality of parts using for example fasteners or welding.

Also, as will now be described with reference to further embodiments of the bracket, the two opposite sides thereof can be configured differently than those of the bracket 10.

Turning now to FIG. 4, a bracket 30 for mounting exterior or interior clapboard to a surface according to a second embodiment will be described. Since the bracket 30 is very similar to the bracket 10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the two brackets 10 and 30 will be described herein.

The second support portion 14 includes a semi-circular recess 32 on the side of the first siding-receiving slot 1. This recess 32 allows facilitating access to the lower portion of the nail-receiving portion 22 to receive the nail 23.

With reference now to FIGS. 5 and 6, a bracket 40 for mounting clapboards 41 and 41′ to a surface 11 according to a third embodiment will be described.

Since the bracket 40 is very similar to the bracket 10, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the two brackets 40 and 10 will be described herein.

Contrarily to the first support portion 12 of the bracket 10, the first support portion 42 of the bracket 40 extends only from one of the two sides of the bridge 16 so as to define the nail receiving portion 22. It results that the bracket 40 includes only one clapboard-receiving slot 18.

The second support portion 44, which is similar to the second support portion 14 of the bracket 10, includes a rectangular recess 46 on the side of the clapboard-receiving slot 18 to allow access to the lower portion of the nail-receiving portion 22. The recess 46 is provided with rounded corners 48.

As can be seen in FIG. 6, the bracket 40 is used in mounting clapboards 41 and 41′ having first and second transversal end sides 47 and 49 that are profiled for complimentary abutment to respectively the first and second opposite sides 50 and 52 of the bracket 40.

The second support portion 44 of the bracket 40 defines a clapboard-receiving slot 54 on the second side 52 of the bracket 40. Further support for maintaining the upper portion of clapboard 41 on the surface 11 is provided by the second transversal end side 47 of the clapboard 41′, said side 47 extending towards the clapboard 41 beyond the bracket 40.

FIG. 7 illustrates a bracket 60 according to a third embodiment. Since the bracket 60 is similar to the bracket 40, and for concision purposes, only the differences between these two brackets 60 and 40 will be described herein.

While two sides 62 and 64 of the bracket 60 are configured for complementary abutment with respective lateral end sides 63 and 65 of the clapboard 61, only the first side 62 of the bracket 60 is configured so as to include a clapboard-receiving slot 66. Indeed, the brackets 60 are configured to mount clapboards 61 wherein the first end side 63 thereof is configured and sized with a portion 67 which extends laterally beyond the bracket 60 and which partially overlaps the second lateral end side 65 of the clapboard 61, thereby providing support to maintain the upper portion of the clapboard 61 onto the surface 69

Even though the brackets 10, 40 and 60 have been described as including two support portions assembled in a generally parallel relationship via a bridge, a bracket according to a further embodiment can be provided for example without a bridge and wherein the two support portions are positioned so as to define an angle therebetween. Such a bracket 70 is illustrated in FIG. 8.

Since the bracket 70 is similar to the bracket 60, and for concision purposes, only the differences between the bracket 70 and 60 will be described herein.

The bracket 70 comprises first and second integral support portions 72 and 74 so positioned as to define i) an angle therebetween and ii) a clapboard-receiving slot 76. The first support portion 72 defines a nail-receiving portion and includes a generally planar side face 78.

The lower end side 75 of each clapboard 73 or 73′ is configured for complementary abutment with the upper side 80 of the bracket 70 in a tongue and groove relationship. More specifically, the clapboard 71 includes a tongue portion 77 that is configured to be received in the slot 76. The lower end side 75 of the clapboard 71 further includes a flat key portion 79 which defines, with the tongue 77, a slot 79 for receiving the second support portion 74 of the bracket 70. Flat key 79 extends downwardly beyond the bracket 70 when the lower end side 75 of the clapboard 73 is complementary mounted on the upper side 80 of the bracket 70.

As mentioned hereinabove, the flat key 79 provides further support for the higher portion of another clapboard 73′ abutting the lower side 82 of the bracket 70 in defining a clapboard-receiving slot 84 with the surface 71.

It is to be noted that the bracket 70 and more specifically the lower side 82 thereof, is not configured to complementary received the upper end side 81 of a clapboard 73 or 73′.

Even though the brackets 10, 40, 60 and 70 have been illustrated mounted to vertical surfaces via nails, a bracket according to embodiments of the present invention can be mounted to a vertical, horizontal or defining an angle with the ground using other fastening means, such as, without limitations, fasteners, glue or any other adhesive.

The clapboards can be made of woods, polymers, aluminum, composite material, etc.

Although the present invention has been described hereinabove by way of illustrated embodiments thereof, it can be modified, without departing from the spirit and nature of the subject invention as defined in the appended claims. 

1. A bracket for mounting first and second clapboards to a surface, each of the first and second clapboards having first and second opposite transversal end sides; the bracket comprising a body having: first and second opposite sides; the second side of the body being configured for abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard; a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a first clapboard receiving slot for receiving the first transversal end side of the second clapboard so as to mount the second clapboard onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.
 2. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the second portion on the first side includes a recess for improving access to the second portion of the first side.
 3. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second portions on the first side of the body is generally flat.
 4. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second portions on the first side are distanced by a bridge portion.
 5. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second portions on the first side are relatively positioned so as to define an angle therebetween.
 6. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the second side of the body is configured for complimentary abutment with the second transversal end side of the first clapboard.
 7. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the first clapboard receiving slot and the first transversal end side of the second clapboard are complimentary.
 8. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the second side of the body includes a second clapboard receiving slot for receiving the second transversal end side of the first clapboard.
 9. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the second side of the body includes a clapboard support element which creates a second clapboard receiving slot with the surface.
 10. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the first portion of the bracket includes at least one hole for receiving a nail or a fastener.
 11. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second transversal end sides of the clapboard are profiled for complementary abutment to respectively the first and second opposite sides of the bracket.
 12. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the body is one piece.
 13. A bracket as recited in claim 1, wherein the body is assembled from a plurality of parts.
 14. A siding kit for covering a surface, the kit comprising: a plurality of clapboards, each having first and second transversal end sides; a plurality of brackets, each including: first and second opposite sides; the second side of the bracket being configured for abutment with the second transversal end side of a first one of the plurality of clapboards; a first portion on the first side for receiving fastening means for mounting the bracket to the surface; and a second portion on the first side defining with the first portion a clapboard receiving slot for receiving in a complimentary way the first transversal end side of a second one of the plurality of clapboards so as to mount the second one of the plurality of clapboards onto the surface generally parallel therefrom.
 15. A bracket as recited in claim 14, wherein the second transversal end side of at least one clapboard includes a flat key to extend beyond one of the brackets when said one of the brackets is secured on the surface and when the at least one clapboard is received in the clapboard receiving slot in the first side of the bracket. 